#tallest trees

[beckhausphoto]

among the redwoods february 2020

[americasgreatoutdoors]

Among the incredible moments you can experience on public lands, one of the most overwhelming has to be walking among the tall trees at Redwood National and State Parks in California. Growing taller than a 35-story building, redwoods can live to be 2,000 years old. Only California’s North Coast provides the soil and climate necessary for these immense trees to flourish. They are truly a marvel of nature. Photo by Stuart Gordon (www.sharetheexperience.org).

[indefenseofplants]

Dipterocarp Forests

Spend any amount of time reading about tropical forests around the world and you are destined to come across mention of dipterocarp forests. If you're anything like me, your initial thought might have been something along the lines of "what the heck does that mean?" Does it describe some sort of structural aspect of the forest, or perhaps a climatic component? To my surprise, dipterocarp forests refer to any forest in which the dominant species of trees are members of the family Dipterocarpaceae. Thus, I was introduced to a group of plants entirely new to me!

The family Dipterocarpaceae is comprised of 16 genera and roughly 700 species. Its members can be found throughout the tropical regions of the world, though they hit their greatest numbers in the forests of southeast Asia and specifically Borneo. As far as habit is concerned, the dipterocarps are largely arborescent, ranging in size from intermediate shrubs to towering emergent canopy trees. If you have watched a documentary on or been to a tropical forest, it is very likely that you have seen at least one species of dipterocarp.

The dipterocarps have a long evolutionary history that stretches back to the early Triassic on the supercontinent of Gondwana. As this massive landmass proceeded to break apart, the early ancestors of this group were carried along with them. Today we can find members of this family in tropical regions of South America, Africa, and Asia. Taxonomically speaking, the family is further divided into three sub families that, to some degree, reflect this distribution.  The subfamily Monotoideae is found in Africa and Colombia, the subfamily Pakaraimoideae is found in Guyana, and the subfamily Dipterocarpoideae is found in Asia.

Biologically, the dipterocarps are quite fascinating. Some species can grow quite large. Three genera - Dryobalanops, Hopea, and Shorea - regularly produce trees of over 80 meters (260 feet) in height. The world record for dipterocarps belongs to an individual of Shorea faguetiana, which stands a whopping 93 meters (305 feet) tall! That's not to say all species are giants. Many dipterocarps live out their entire lives in the forest understory.

For species growing in seasonal environments, flowering occurs annually or nearly so. Also, for dipterocarps that experience regular dry seasons, deciduousness is a common trait. For those growing in non-seasonal environments, however, flowering is more irregular and leaves are largely evergreen. Some species will flower once every 3 to 5 years whereas others will flower once every decade or so. In such cases, flowering occurs en masse, with entire swaths of forest bursting into bloom all at once. These mast years often lead to similar aged trees that all established in the same year. Though more work needs to be done on this, it is thought that various bee species comprise the bulk of the dipterocarp pollinator guild. 

Ecologically speaking, one simply cannot overstate the importance of this family. Wherever they occur, dipterocarps often form the backbone of the forest ecosystem. Their number and biomass alone is worth noting, however, these trees also provide fruits, pollen, nectar, and habitat for myriad forms of life. The larger dipterocarps are often considered climax species, meaning that they dominate in regions comprised of mostly primary forest. For the most part, these trees are able to take advantage of more successional habitats, however, this has been shown to be severely limited by the availability of localized seed sources. 

Since we are on the topic of regeneration, a conversation about dipterocarps would not be complete if we didn't touch on logging. These trees are massive components of tropical economies. Their wood is highly coveted for a a variety of uses I won't go into here. The point is that, on a global scale, dipterocarp forests have taken a huge hit. Many species within this family are now threatened with extinction. Logging, both legal and illegal, specifically aimed at dipterocarps has seen the destruction of millions of acres of old growth dipterocarp forests. With them goes all of the life that they support.

It's not enough to protect individual species. We need to rally behind whole ecosystem protection. Without it, we literally have nothing. Luckily there are groups like the Center For International Forestry Research and the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia that are working hard on research, conservation, and improved forestry standards in an effort to ease up on the detrimental practices currently in place. Still, these efforts are not enough either. Without the care, concern, and most important, the funding from folks like us, little can be done to stop the tide. That is why supporting land conservation agencies is one of the most powerful things we can do for this planet and for each other. 

Some great land conservation organizations worth supporting:

The Rainforest Trust - https://www.rainforesttrust.org/

The Nature Conservancy - http://bit.ly/2B0hFm

The Rainforest Alliance - https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/

Photo Credits: [1] [2] [3] [4]

urther Reading: [1]

[wandloreanalysis]

15 inches coastal redwood Snallygaster Tentacle Unyielding

This wand is a King at reliability.

Coastal redwood, much like the tree it was taken from, is a long lasting wand that doesn’t burn out easily. Some of the oldest wands I examined were made from redwood. 

This wood is reliable. with it’s strengths being speechless magic. Understanding the will and wants of the user without much practice. 

Snallygaster Tentacle are a very prideful wand core. While some cores will  align themselves with certain personality traits they admire. Snallygaster Tentacle will align to the people they believe will achieve big things in life. With ambitious dreams, and the will to achieve those dreams. 

Because of this, the core is easily won over to other people. You should feel proud to have this core, because it truly believe’s in your power. 

It produces reliable, strong, non-flashy magic. 

While this wand would do well with any flexibility, due to it’s reliable wood and core mixture. but because of It’s length, unyielding would be the best option for it. decreasing the possibility of it snapping.

In conclusion, The Snallygaster would enjoy the Redwood’s historic roots and reliability. This core and wood mends together beautifully. creating a steady stream of magic. it’s not as powerful as other wands. but reliability is sometimes a much better quality in a wand.

[mossandfog]

Newly Discovered Cypress Tree in Nepal is Considered Second Tallest in the World

Even in the year 2023, we’re finding some of nature’s most impressive creations for the first time. An enormous cypress tree was recently discovered in Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon Nature Reserve in Nepal, and it’s one for the record books. The huge, towering tree measures an amazing 335 feet above the forest floor, easily topping the Statue of Liberty in height. Indeed, its extreme height puts it…

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[onlytrending]

https://thewebnoise.com/taller-trees-discovered/

[wailanabutler]

5 Tallest Trees In The World | List by Wai Lana Butler

The tallest trees in the world are redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens), which tower above the ground in California. These trees can easily reach

5 Tallest Trees In The World | List by Wai Lana Butlera

[jaydeetrix]

The World of Trees - Tallest and the Oldest

Short documentary about The Amazing World of Trees. Featuring the tallest in UK and the World...and the Oldest. There is no end to learning and education.Fil...

Greetings. Welcome to a short little doc on the Worlds of Trees - Tallest and the Oldest. Music: The Spiral Staircase Song (By Jay Deetrix)